Barrier
by Emperatris
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura have been partner assassins for years. When she is assigned to an undercover mission to murder Hyuuga Neji,a student, Sasuke starts seeing her in a strange new light. A world of love, wits, and betrayal...welcome to high school.
1. Prologue

Sasuke and Sakura have been partner assassins for years. When she is assigned to an undercover mission to murder the high school student Hyuuga Neji, Sasuke starts seeing her in a strange new light. A world of love, wits, and betrayal-- welcome to high school.

This is just a FANfiction I wrote. I do NOT own Naruto.

Throughout the story expect OOC and occassional craziness of this loveless, happy author.

**Barrier**

**_By: _**Emperatris

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**Prologue**

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They were in an art gallery at around eight in the evening-- Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. It was the very first one in Konohagakure and was owned by a wealthy businessman. Both of them looked lovely with their formal attire that night-- Sakura wore a cream colored, spaghetti-strapped, expensive-looking gown and Sasuke with his new tuxedo. They were gorgeous, a perfect young match. No body would suspect them.

"Make it quick. I don't want time to be wasted." Sasuke murmured to as they stood in front of a painting.

"Sure, Sasuke. Whatever you say." She answered back. He always wanted things to be done quickly. Sakura spotted one of their targets-- a brunette man in his late forties holding a half full wine glass nearby. Looking at Sasuke, she spoke almost like a whisper, "I'd better get moving now." Then in a louder voice, she continued, "That's it; we're through! I don't want to see you again!" She pushed him away and that caught the attention of some people, including their target. Her little acting was convincing.

Sasuke was taken aback, though he didn't show it. He didn't expect that _that_ was the method she was going to use. He gave her one last look, walked away, and, with his peripheral vision, saw the target moving towards her, probably to console her. Then he headed to the parking lot.

"Are you okay?" The brunette man asked. "Allow me to get you a drink, beautiful lady." He was maniacally smiling at her. She hated it.

Trying to conceal her anger, she smiled and lightly laid her hand onto his shoulder, "I wish I could stay but I'm too depressed right now, mister. I'm so sorry." With a swift movement of her other hand, she initiated her silent attack on his chest. Her mission will soon be over. She left him standing there and made her way to the parking lot where her partner was waiting for her, his task probably done three and a half minutes ahead of hers.

She rode into the car; he started the engine and drove out of the place.

"What are we?" Sasuke asked, breaking the silence.

The pink haired girl stared at him, puzzled. Whatever he meant, she knew he was serious about it. He's always been serious about everything. She looked back at the road that seemed to go on forever. "We've been partner assassins for almost four years, if that's what you mean."

He glanced at her then concentrated back to his driving. "Exactly. You should probably start being like one and stop those cheap acting. It doesn't suit this... this job." He said coldly.

"But-- Okay, I'm sorry. I'll be more professional next time." She answered, concealing her disappointment. She had never done anything that pleased him. Ever since the day she met him, she was never right and she accepted it. He was always correct. She instilled in her mind that it would always be him before her. That's how much she--

"How did it go?" He emotionlessly asked. He never really cared about her. It was always about the mission.

"It went well." In all those years that they have been together, she tried mimicking his cold, aloof, emotionless lifestyle because after all, that was how an assassin's life should be. She was getting along with her being a copycat but was never good enough. "How about yours?"

Sasuke didn't answer as if he didn't hear her asking a question. She just let it be. It only meant that he wanted silence. Her life had always been like that ever since she met him.

The car sped up to their house.

Five minutes after they left the gallery, two dead bodies were found-- one in the male washroom and another man inside his car in a parking lot. A brunette man in the washroom died because of some sort of heart failure and the latter died because of suffocation of carbon monoxide. There were no signs of foul play therefore, the police declared the deaths as natural and an accident.

Mission complete.

That's what assassins are good at.

About a week after the mission in the art gallery, Sasuke came to the small living room where Sakura was reading a book.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun. What brings you here?" He was usually alone in his room or spent the rest of his day somewhere outside the house. Her emerald eyes spotted the brown envelope he was holding and she immediately knew his purpose.

Sasuke sat on a couch across her and tossed the envelope onto the small coffee table. "That's the next mission." He began.

She eyed him, picking the envelope. "Well, this is great since this place is boring the hell out of me. So when are we going to start?" She asked as she cautiously opened the envelope and took its contents out. She studied the papers containing informations about the new prey.

"In this mission, you're going to work alone." Sasuke stated. "There is no need to hurry in this one, though. It will take place in a school. The client will pay for everything you will need. You have four months to gather information about the target then you'll have to kill him."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief. That mission was different from the others. "I don't get it. Why do I still have to know him for four months? Why can't I just assassinate him the first time I see him?"

"That was what our--_your_ client requested. You are to make a weekly report about your next target and hand it to me so I could give it to our _bridge_ then to the client." The dark haired boy explained.

Sakura slowly nodded. As hired killers, they were strictly forbidden to know their clients. They just do their task, get paid, and that's it. In some cases, she wondered why their client wanted a certain person be put to death even though he really didn't deserve it. It wasn't for her to know. Assassins like her are emotionless tools of death. She was about to put the papers back to the envelope when a picture fell on the floor. She picked it up and carefully studied every detail on the person's face.

"Sasuke, this is my target, right?" He nodded a little. "He's..." There was a flicker of sadness in her eyes and it was suddenly gone. "He looks weak."

His cold obsidian eyes stared at her intensely. He saw her shiver under that powerful, constricting gaze. "Sakura, you know the rule... our _law_."

She averted her gaze from him. Doing this job for years somehow numbed her. Another reason for her being like a lifeless creature was the boy sitting across her. She adored him so much but that would have to wait forever because of what they _should_ believe in and follow. "An assassin should always set aside his emotions. The mission will always be above personal feelings." _Sasuke will always be above myself._

Sasuke stood up and turned to leave the house. "Keep that in mind. Don't let it block your way." Then he was gone.

She whispered to herself, "Yes, Sasuke..." She held her necklace, looking at the silver ring in it. It had Sasuke's initials carved in the inside part of the silver band as if it was their wedding ring. Sasuke also had a necklace with the same ring, only her initials were carved in it. Their sensei gave it to them the day they became a pair, simbolizing their partnership. She let it rest on her chest. It held so many memories.

She was thoughtful for a while. She took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down the things she needed for her undercover-assassination mission. She can't depend on Sasuke since she had to work alone for the first time since their partnership. It was a chance for her to prove to him that she was really _something_.

She wanted to please that dark haired Uchiha so bad that she was willing to do anything and everything for him.

Anything _and _everything for him.

This chance of a lifetime came to her in the form of a male high school student. She wouldn't lose this one shot.

Her mission will start soon and she was planning every single detail on how she _would _do it perfectly fine to please him.

Sakura's plan was a big gamble, but she was willing to take risks to have him for herself. _And Hyuuga Neji will help me do that._ She had a smirk on her lips while staring at his picture. "Right, Neji?"


	2. Alpha

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto_

_Thank you for the reviews! I know, I know. It took me months to update this and still I think this is crappy, boring, and short. Expect occasional OOCness. Anyway, please r&r._

**I. Alpha**

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Walking down the crowded hallway, she felt lost and confused. Konoha High School seemed to be a place so frightening to her. Perhaps it was because she had been home-schooled for as long as she could recall, or maybe because it was her first time doing a solo mission. Chatting and laughing students here and there; no one really cared about that new girl or even noticed her presence. She started walking faster every minute, trying to avoid those rampaging boys in the corner, on her way to her classroom. She just came from Tsunade's, the school principal, office to get her new class schedule.

She sat on an empty seat in the front row. A girl with big and thick glasses and braces approached her, saying in a rude manner, "Get the hell out of my seat."

Keeping her head down, she stood up and looked for another vacant chair. She finally spotted one at the back part of the room beside the window. She looked around the room and noticed that almost everyone was reading their textbooks or reviewing their previous homework. She wondered if she'll be like them as well. Being in the class where the smartest students were, she knew she had to adapt to their "nature" somehow; but she also knew that even if she were to be like those nerdy students, it wouldn't change who she really is. Behind her neatly pony-tailed hair and pressed uniform lies another individual, her true self that had been altered by emotional wounds and time. Haruno Sakura.

She paid a close attention while the teacher called out the names of his students. _So Hyuuga Neji is not in this class then. _

"Haruno. Haruno Sakura?" Matsumoto-sensei called.

Sakura slowly stood up, unsure of what to do next.

"So you're the new girl the Principal had been talking about. Welcome to Konoha High School. Would you like to say something about yourself before we resume with our lesson?" The teacher, in his late-forties, sounded like he was really in a hurry.

"No, Matsumoto-sensei." Sakura answered then sat down.

"Yesterday, we were talking about…" The teacher went on, facing the blackboard.

_Okay, so on with the mission. The information sheet states that Hyuuga Neji is in IV-A which is my class. How come he's not here then? Perhaps there was an error… _She was distracted by the boy sitting in front of her. He was offering her his notebook containing the lessons that she missed.

"I'm Shikamaru. This was last week's lesson," He pointed to a page full of numbers, angles, and shapes. "And that"—looking at the board—"is the continuation."

Sakura scanned the page and then thanked Shikamaru when he said that she could keep it for now so she could copy the notes. _I learned this two year ago. There shouldn't be any problems. _She told herself. Sighing softly, she turned her attention back to what Matsumoto was saying.

She couldn't wait to meet her target. _Hyuuga Neji… Neji… Where are you?_

* * *

Lunch time was the loneliest time of her first day at Konoha High. Everyone had friends and it seemed that there was no space left for her in the cafeteria. _I wish Sasuke is here. He wouldn't talk but at least there's someone who would listen to me. _Sakura continued looking for a vacant table when a tall, muscled guy blocked her way.

"Hey there, new chick. So you're in that smart-ass class, right? Beauty and brains—I like that. I'll tour you around the school, how about that?" He said with malice in his voice.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Thanks but I already did," She lied. "I have to go now."

The huge guy frowned. "You're going that fast? You haven't even eaten your lunch yet!" He pointed to her lunch box. "Come sit with me then." He grabbed her arm.

Sakura knew that with just a little effort, she could take that persistent and perverted creature down. _But I have to keep it down. _She decided to handle the situation in a more "peaceful" manner. "I… I really have to go."

"No. You're staying!"

Before he could force her to sit down on a bench, she grabbed his muscled hand and twisted it enough to hurt him a little so he'd let go of her. She then took the opportunity and ran away.

* * *

Sakura rested in the shadows of a huge tree. She was panting and laughing at the same time. "That was fun." She knew she could deliver that young man's death, but the need to restrain herself amused and thrilled her. She opened her lunch box and started eating.

"The way you twisted that student's hand in the cafeteria—you were trying to stop yourself from doing more than that."

Sakura, alarmed, tracked where the voice was coming from. She looked up and there she saw Hyuuga Neji sitting on a tree branch, gazing blankly at her. A million thoughts suddenly raced in her mind. _How could he have known?_ She decided to give him her best answer. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Neji averted his gaze upon her. "I'm Hyuuga Neji. You're new here, I suppose?"

Sakura was thankful that he dropped that subject. "I… Yes. I'm Haruno Sakura."

There was silence between them. Sakura was the one who broke the deafening silence and started a conversation.

"Would you like to have a piece of this?" She offered him the sushi in her lunch box.

Neji shook his head then jumped down from the branch.

"Or you could have all of them. I'm not really hungry." Sakura insisted.

"No." Neji replied and started to walk away.

"Or maybe you could…" The dark brown-haired boy didn't look back, signaling that he wasn't interested with any of her offers. "…stay for a while. I'm just trying to make friends." She said more to herself than to him.

_Ironic isn't it? Trying to be friends with your enemy. _She shrugged. "I wonder what Sasuke would say."

* * *

Since she came almost halfway before the school year ended, Sakura had to take extra courses. One of the extra courses she picked was Hospitality. Today, Kamiya-sensei was teaching them how to bake blueberry cheesecake. She had never felt as excited with such thing as baking before. She doesn't make or buy cakes or any sweets since Sasuke doesn't like them. Like a young child filled with hope and desire of exploring a new world, Sakura watched in awe as the teacher took out the finished product from the chiller.

"This is how the cake should look like. The cream should have the right consistency or it would end up looking bad or would have a bad texture." Kamiya-sensei said. "I've given you the recipe. You could start baking now."

With just a slight knowledge in this field, Sakura tried her best to identify the ingredients in those transparent bowls.

"Are you having a hard time?"

The pink-haired girl looked at the person beside her. After debating with herself whether she needed help or not, she finally gave up and said yes.

"That's flour. That one's the milk and the one beside it is the cream. Some of the ingredients are well…kind of confusing." Hinata explained.

Sakura smiled at her. "Thanks. Well, I've never actually baked anything before. By the way, I'm Sakura."

The other girl weakly smiled. "I… I'm Hinata. I haven't seen you in this class before."

"Actually, I just started here in Konoha High School today. Uhm…" Sakura hesitated. "If you have enough time, could you help me with the mixing of the ingredients?"

Hinata nodded enthusiastically. "I'd really be glad to help you."

Sakura mimicked Hinata as she skillfully mixed the proper ingredients together. _So she is Neji's cousin._ Their strong resemblance told her that they were somehow related. She shook the thought away and concentrated with what she was doing. What's important was that she made a new friend.

She realized that baking was interesting.

* * *

On her way home, Sakura caught a glimpse of Neji and Hinata with a man who seemed to be related to them due to his pale eyes. From afar, she could see Hinata staring down on the cement covered earth, looking rather sad. The older man seemed to be reprimanding the young Hyuuga boy.

_Hyuuga Neji's father: deceased. Maybe it's Hinata's father, Hyuuga Hiashi. _Sakura moved closer to a spot where she would hear them without being seen.

"I'm disappointed of you, Neji. You've been here for a month and it seems that nothing has changed." Hyuuga Hiashi was angrily saying.

Neji didn't respond to his uncle. Hinata looked as if she wanted to stop the small argument but she knew her father won't pay attention to her.

"…You're in a low-level class and I don't hear anything remarkable about you. You should be ashamed!" Hiashi continued, looking calm but still dangerously angry.

It was the first time Neji looked at his uncle since Sakura started listening to them.

"Why did you send me here, anyway?" Neji calmly answered. "What is your true intention?"

Sensing that the argument would get bigger if it continues, Hinata intervened, saying: "Father, I—I think we should um… head back home now."

Sakura frowned. Hiashi seemed to be really angry at his nephew. _And that intention might be enough for him to hire an assassin to kill Neji. _The younger male Hyuuga didn't seem to have friends at school (she had seen him alone throughout the day) and was really quiet. Certainly, he couldn't… "If Sasuke could hear my thoughts, he'd really be upset." She unknowingly flashed a bitter smile.

Sakura had four months to gather information about her target. Hyuuga Neji's mysteriousness amused her. She got up and started walking back home. "I wonder… is he in a deep, hidden pain?"

He reminded her of herself.

* * *

He watched as the pink-haired girl opened the door to her house. He smiled to himself and to the success he will be having soon. After she's done, he will have to eliminate her. Haruno Sakura was just too dangerous—or at least that's what he had been told.

"You are a big threat, Sakura-_hime_," Invidia muttered.

Sakura had grown into a magnificent, cunning, beautiful, and deadly woman without her knowing it. She'd find out about him and his plans soon and he wanted that day to be special for her—the day of her death. He wondered what it would be like to fight with the most dangerous jewel. Oh, how badly he yearned to hear her scream in pain as he thrust a sharp knife into her heart! He wanted to see how strong this Angel had been.

Invidia smirked. "Have a good night, Seventh Angel."


End file.
